Feeding and opening of collapsed cartons



June 11, 1963 J. A. KAY

FEEDING AND OPENING oF COLLAPSED CARToNs Filed Jan. 23, 1962 3,093,036 FEEDNG AND OPENING F CGLLAPSED CARTNS `lames Arthur Kay, Gainsborough, England, assignor to Rose Brothers (Gainsborough) Limited, Gainsborough, England, a British company Filed Jan. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 168,064 Claims priority, application Great Britain Jan. 30, 1961 3 Claims. (Cl. 93-53) This invention relates to the feeding and opening of collapsed cartons to an apparatus for operating on the cartons, e.g., a carton filling and closing apparatus.

-ln feeding collapsed cartons to such an apparatus, it is found convenient at some stage in the feeding operation to break the longitudinal scores of the carton by iirst opening the carton and then at least partially collapsing it in the opposite direction, i.e., by causing three sides of the carton to pivot about the longitudinal score lines through upwards of 90.

After the score-breaking operations, the carton may be forwarded between suitable side guides to a transfer station at which the cartons are transferred in succession to a feed conveyor of a filling and closing apparatus, the transferring action being such -as to allow the cartons to open as they move towards the feed conveyor.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of lthe above kind in combination with a carton feeding apparatus of the transfer blade type, i.e., of the kind described in my U.S. Patent No. 3,063,712, issued November 13, 1962.

According to the present invention, collapsed cartons are fed in succession from a stack or pack at a separating station by successive transfer Iblades to an intermediate station during which movement the cartons are opened from their collapsed form, each successive carton fbeing pressed by its blade into engagement with the preceding carton (after the blade has been withdrawn therefrom) to cause that carton to be pressed into engagement with a movable re-folding member and by such engagement to be re-collapsed in the opposite direction, such pressure in conjunction with the movement of the re-folding member causing the leading edge of the re-collapsed carton to be nipped between the surface of the re-folding member and a movable pressure member to be moved thereby away from the intermediate station into a guiding channel, forwarding means being provided for engaging the rear edges of the successive cartons to feed them along the channel towards a transfer station.

The movable re-folding member conveniently consists of a rotatable drum while the movable pressure member consists of a pressure rol-ler resiliently engaging the surface of the drum. The forwarding means may then be in the form of slidable pushers mounted within the drum and arranged to protrude through slots in its surface, the pushers being activated, in timed relationship with the movement of the transfer blades, by engagement with a stationary cam mounted about the axis of the drum.

The guiding channel conveniently widens as it approaches the transfer station to allow the successive cartons to open in readiness for transferring to the feed conveyor of the filling and closing apparatus.

The invention has been found particularly useful in combination with the blade feeding apparatus described in the specification mentioned above.

Such a combination will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE l is an elevation of a carton-feeding apparatus according to the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a plan of the apparatus, and

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FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating part of the operation of the apparatus.

As described in U.S. Patent No. 3,063,712 collapsed cartons 11 in the form of a pack are supported between side guides 12 on a pair `of endless chains 13, the latter being driven so as frictionally to engage the base of the pack and urge the cartons towards a separating station, a movable end wall 14 also being supported on and urged forwardly by the chains 13 to provide support for the rear of the pack. The leading carton 11 is urged into engagement with abutment rollers 16 and yieldable stops 17, the rollers 16 being arranged to engage an end wall panel 18 of the carton. The cartons 11 are removed in succession from the pack by a series of opening blades 19 mounted between a pair of Ilaterally spaced chains 21 arranged to move the blades 19 over a closed path iirstly to move into the leading carton and then to transport it to an intermediate position, the carton 4being opened during such action to a substantially rectangular form. The carton 11 is left standing in the intermediate position, `supported only by a support 22 and the rear side guide 12, Iuntil the next succeeding -blade 19 carries out the same movements to forward the next succeeding carton to the intermediate position. During such movement, the preceding carton 11 is caused to re-collapse in the opposite direction against the surface of a refolding drum 23. Such collapsing action causes the leading carton to pass into the nip between the drum 23 and a roller 24 carried by an arm 26 slidably mounted in a bearing member 27 secured to a stationary shaft 28 upstanding from the framework 29 of the apparatus. The arm 26 is provided with a retaining member 31 slotted for engagement with a peg 32 extending from the bearing member 27 the peg 32 maintaining the axes of the roller 24 and the drum 23 substantially parallel. A spring 33 arranged between the retaining member 31 and the bearing member 27 provides a resilient nip between the roller 24 and the drum 23. 'Ihe roller 24 is provided with a gear 34 arranged in mesh with a driving gear 36 formed on a disc 37 extending from a main hub 38 rotatably mounted on the shaft 28 and driven by gearing 39 engaging the gear 36, the hub being provided -with a flange 41 to which the drum 23 is secured. The drum 23 and roller 24 are thus both driven and serve to urge the recollapsed carton into a narrow channel formed between the surface of the drum 23 and an outer guide 42.

A series of forked pushers 43 are mounted for radial movement within the drum 23 and for rotational movement therewith, and are operated by stationary cams 44 and 46 forming a track 47 arranged to engage pins 48 extending from the pushers 43. Pairs of rollers 49 freely mounted in the drum 23 and slots S1 in the rim of the drum 23 serve to guide the pushers 43 during their radial movement. The track 47 causes the pushers 43 to move outwardly in succession into engagement with the rear edge of each carton in turn as it leaves the nip of the roller 24 and the drum 23 to forward the carton along a channel 52, the roller 24 being provided with grooves 53 to clear the extremities of the pushers 43. 'Ihe cartons are supported on a ledge 54 on the disc 37 as they pass along the channel 52.

The channel 52 widens as 'at 56 to allow the successive cantons to spring back towards their open position, such action being assisted by the forwarding action of .fthe pushers 43. A dellector 57 positioned in the widened portion of the channel 52 elfects a stripping action as the cartons leave the surface of the drum 23. The widened portion 56 of the channel 52 continues as Ia conveyor track 58, below which -is a supporting platform 59, and 'as each carton 11 is passed into the track 58, its rear face is engaged by a pusher 61 carried by `a conveyor chain 62 driven in timed relationship with the drum 23 to lforward the cartons to a iilling and closing apparatus.

I claim:

1` Carton-feeding apparatus `comprising in combination a series of transfer blades for successively entering .the leading canton of a stack -or pack of collapsed cartons at a separating station and moving the `carton to an intermediate station, the cant-on being opened from its collapsed form during such movement, a movable-refolding member into engagement with which each successive carton 4is pressed by the preceding carton during movement of that carlton by its blade to the intermediate station to cause each lsucces-sive carton to be re-collapsed in the opposite direction, a movable pressure `member in engagement with the surface of the re-fold-ing member to form a driving nip into which the rre-collapsed carton is passed by pressure applied by the preceding carton, a vguiding channel into which the carton is moved by the nip, and forwarding means for engaging the rear edges of the successive cartons lto feed them -along the channel towards a transfer station. v

2. Carton-feeding apparatus comprising in combination a series of transfer blades for successively entering Lthe leading canton of a stack or pack of collapsed `cartons at -a separating station and moving the `carton to an intermediate station, the carton .being opened r.from its co1- lapsed form during such movement, a rotatable re-folding vdrum int-o engagement with which each successive carton -is pressed by the preceding carton during movement of that carton by its lblade to the intermediate stationv .to cause each successive carton to be re-collapsed in the opposite direction, a pressure roller in resilient eng-agement with the surface of the re-fol'ding member to form a driving nip into which the re-collapsed carton is passed by pressure applied by the preceding carton, a guiding channel into which the carton is moved by the nip, and forwarding means for engaging the rear edges of the successive cartons to feed them along the channel toWards ia transfer station.

3. Carton-feeding apparatus `comprising -in combination a series of transfer blades for successively entering the leading carton of ia stack -or pack Iof collapsed cartons at a separating Vstation `and moving Ithe lcanton `to 1an intermediate station, lthe canton 'being opened from its collapsed form during such movement, Ia rotatable re-folding `drum into engagement with which each successive Icarton is pressed by the preceding `carton `during movement of that carton by its blade to the intermediate station to cause each 'successive canton -to 'be redcollapsed in the opposite direction, a movable pressure member engagement with the surface of the re-folding member to form a driving `nip into which the -re-collapsed carton is passed by pressure applied by the preceding canton, a guiding channel into which the "carton is moved by the nip, forwarding means comprising a series of circumferentially spaced pushers slidably mounted Within the drum and arranged `to protrude through apertures in .the drum `surface, and means for activating the pushers in timed relationship with the movement of the transfer blades.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,671,385 Iohenning et al. Mar. 9, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 768,494 Great Britain Feb. 20, 1957 

1. CARTON-FEEDING APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A SERIES OF TRANSFER BLADES FOR SUCCESSIVLEY ENTERING THE LEADING CARTON OF A STACK OR PACK OF COLLAPSED CARTONS AT A SEPARATING STATION AND MOVING THE CARTON TO AN INTERMEDIATE STATION, THE CARTON BEING OPENED FROM ITS COLLAPSED FORM DURING SUCH MOVEMENT, A MOVABLE-REFOLDING MEMBER INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH WHICH EACH SUCCESSIVE CARTON IS PRESSED BY THE PRECEDING CARTON DURING MOVEMENT OF THAT CARTON BY ITS BLADE TO THE INTERMEDIATE STATION TO CAUSE EACH SUCCESSIVE CARTON TO BE RE-COLLAPSED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, A MOVABLE PRESSURE MEMBER IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SURFACE OF THE RE-FOLDING MEMBER TO FORM A DRIVING NIP INTO WHICH THE RE-COLLAPSED CARTON IS PASSED BY PRESSURE APPLIED BY THE PRECEDING CARTON, A GUIDING CHANNEL INTO WHICH THE CARTON IS MOVED BY THE NIP, AND FORWARDING MEANS FOR ENGAGING THE REAR EDGES OF THE SUCCESSIVE CARTONS TO FEED THEM ALONG THE CHANNEL TOWARDS A TRANSFER STATION. 